Why I wrote When Technology Fails

By Matthew Stein, P.E., Author of When Technology Fails: A Manual for Self-Reliance and Planetary Survival, ISBN #978-1933392837, published by Chelsea Green Publishing, White River Junction, VT (800) 639-4099 http://www.chelseagreen.com

You might wonder what an MIT engineer is doing writing about the failure of technology. I doubt that we will see technology fail in one single blow, but believe that we will see increasing environmental and political instabilities that will cause disruptionsin the flow of electricity and goods to large numbers of people. I do not consider myself a survivalist and had never considered writing a book even remotely like this until I “received” a complete title, scope and holographic outline for this book in an instantaneous flash while meditating just before Thanksgiving of 1997. At this time, I had never heard of Y2k, the stock market was booming, Israel was relatively peaceful, and 9/11 was just a number you called when you were in trouble. I have often used meditative techniques to gain valuable (and sometimes patentable) solutions to difficult design problems, but never before have I received a complete and fully developed idea for something that had not already been subject to the conscious focus of my mind.

I am definitely not smart enough to figure out the entire outline for this book in an instant. Just writing a college term paper was a major ordeal for me. I do believe that the inspiration for this book came from a higher source, but that source did not tell me whom it was (I can't claim it was Jesus, Buddha, or God himself). If it was truly divine inspiration that guided me to write this book, one wonders what is in store for mankind in the next decade. The same source that guided me to write this book indicated that many people would need this information in the coming years.

Praise for the Book

"This book is an indispensable basic manual for the real-life issues that await us in the decades to come. Those who read it, and pay attention to its treasure trove of practical wisdom, will enjoy a huge advantage as the cheap oil fiesta winds down and circumstances compel us to live differently."